Chapter I - The man who died

I return to my flat at about three o'clock on that May afternoon very unhappy with life. I had been back in Britain for three months and I was already bored. The weather was bad, the people were dull, and the amusements of London seemed as exciting as a glass of cold water. 'Richard Hannay,' I told myself, 'you have made a mistake, and you had better do something about it.'

It made me angry when I thought of the years I had spent in Africa. I had spent those years working very hard and making money. Not a lot of money, but enough for me. I had left Scotland when I was six years old, I had never been home since. For years I had dreamt of coming of coming home to Britain and spending the rest of my life there, but I was disappointed with the place after the first week. And so here I was, thirty-seven years old, healthy, with enough money to have a good time, and bored to death.

That evening I went out to dinner and sat reading the newspapers afterwards. They were full of the troubles in south-east Europe, and there was a long report about Karolides, the Greek Prime Minister. He seemed to be an honest man, but some people in Europe hated him. However, many people in Britain liked him, and one newspaper said that he was the only man who could get prevent a war starting. I remember wondering if I could get a job in south-east Europe; it might be a lot less boring than life in London.

As I walked home that night, I decided to give Britain one more day. If nothing interesting happened, I would take the next boat back to Africa.

My flat was in a big new building in Langham Place. There was a doorman at the entrance to the building, but each flat was seperated, with its own front door. I was just putting the key into my door when a man appeared next to em. He was think, with a short brown beard and small, very bright eyes. I recognized him as the man who lived in a flat on the top floor of the building. We had spoken once or twice on the stairs.

'Can I speak to you?' he asked. 'May I come in for a minute?' His voice was shaking a little.

I opened the door and he went in.

'Is the door locked?' he asked, and quickly locked it himself.

'I'm very sorry,' he said to me. 'It's very rude of me. But I'm in a dangerous corner and you looked like the kind of man who would understand. If I explain, will you help me?'

'I'll listen to you,' I said. 'That 's all I promise.' I was getting worried by this strange man's behavior.

There was a table with drinks on it next to him, and he took a large whisky for himself. He drank it quickly, and then put the glass down so violently that it broke.

'I'm sorry,' he said.'I'm a little nervous tonight. You see, at this moment I'm dead.'

I sat down in an armchair and lit my pipe.

'How does it feel?' I asked. I was now almost sure that the man was mad.

He smiled. 'I'm not mad - yet. Listen, I've been watching you, and I guess that you're not easily frightened. I'm going to tell you my story. I need help very badly, and I want to know if you're the right man to ask.'

'Tell me your story,' I said, 'and I'll tell you if I can help you.'

It was an extraordinary story. I didn't understand all of it, and I had to ask a lot of questions, but here it is:

His name was Franklin P. Scudder and he was an American, but he had been in south-east Europe for several years. By accident, he had discovered a group of people who were working secretly to push Europe towards a war. These people were clever, and dangerous. Some of them wanted to change the world through war; others simply wanted to make a lot of money, and there is always money to be made from a war. Their plan was to get Russia and Germany at war with each other.

'I want to stop them,' Scudder told me, 'and if I can stay alive for another month, I think I can.'

'I thought you were already dead,' I said.

THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS

As Richard Hannay walks home to his flat in London, he is feeling bored. nothing exciting ever seems to happen in England, he thinks. Perhaps he'll go back to Africa. But that night he has a visitor, a man called Scudder, who has a strange story to tell.

A week later Hannay is lying, hungry and exhausted, in the heather on a Scottish moor. Above him a small plane circles in the blue sky, flying low. Hannay lies still, hoping desperately that the plane will not see him, and thinks about Scudder's little black notebook in his pocket. Who are the people chasing him - the mysterious 'Black Stone' that Scudder writes about? What is so important about 'the thirty-nine steps'? And what is going to happen in London on the 15th of June?

But Scudder has been murdered, and Hannay must find his own answers, while his enemies chase him night and day through the hills of Scotland. If they catch him, they will kill him ...

Chapter I - Count Dracula

My story begins about seven years ago, in 1875. My name is Jonathan Harker, and I live and work in London. My job is to buy and sell houses for other people. One day a letter arrived for me from a very rich man who lived in Transylvania. He wanted to buy a house in England and he needed my help. The man was Count Dracula, and I agreed to help him.

I found a house for him, and he asked me to take all the papers for it to Transylvania. I was not very pleased about this. I was planning to get married in the autumn, and I did not want to leave my beautiful Mina.

‘But you must go, Jonathan,’ she said. ‘The Count is rich, and perhaps he will give you more work later.’

So I agreed to go. I did not know then of the terrible danger which waited for me in Transylvania.

And so, on 4th May I arrived at a little town called Bistritz. Transylvania was a strange and beautiful country. There were mountains, trees and rivers everywhere. And somewhere high in the mountains was the Count’s home, Castle Dracula. I had six hours to wait before the coach came to take me there, so I went into a little hotel. Inside the hotel it was warm and friendly. The people there were all laughing and talking. ‘Where are you going?’ they asked me.

‘To Castle Dracula,’ I replied.

Suddenly the room was silent and everyone turned to look at me. I could not understand why they all looked afraid.

‘Don’t go there,’ someone said.

‘But i have to,’ I answered. ‘It’s a business.’

They began to talk again, but they were no longer laughing. Slowly, the hotel keeper’s wife took the gold cross from her neck and put it into my hand. ‘Take this,’ she said. ‘There is danger at Castle Dracula. Perhaps this will help you.’

When the coach arrived and I got into it, a crowd of people came to watch, and I heard the word ‘vampire’.

The coach travelled up into the mountains. Higher and higher it went, faster and faster. The sun was bright, but above the trees there was snow on the mountain tops. Then suddenly the sun went down behind the mountains and everywhere was dark. In the forest around us, the wolves were howling. It was terrible sound.

Suddenly the coach stopped. A small carriage came down the narrow road on the right. Four black horses were pulling it, and the driver was dressed in black, with a black hat pulled down over his face.

‘Where’s the Englishman?’ he called. ‘I’ve come from Castle Dracula!’

He looked strange, standing there in the moonlights, and suddenly I was afraid. But it was too late. I could not go back now.

Soon we were on our way to Castle Dracula. The mountains were all round us and the moon was behind black clouds. I could see nothing – but I could still hear the wolves. The horses went faster and faster, and the driver laughed wildly.

Suddenly the carriage stopped. I opened the door and got out. At once the carriage drove away and I was alone in front of the dark, silent castle. I stood there, looking up at it, and slowly, the big wooden door opened. A tall man stood in front of me. His hair was white and he was dressed in black from head to foot.

‘Come in, Mr Harker,’ he said. ‘I’m Count Dracula.’ He held out his hand and I took it. It was as cold as ice!

DRACULA – Bram Stoker

In the spring of 1875, Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania, on a business visit to the home of Count Dracula. Jonathan does not really want to go because in a few months’ time he is getting married to his beautiful Mina, and he does not want to leave her.

While he is staying in Castle Dracula, he keeps a diary. And every day he has more and more terrible things to write. Why does he see Count in the mirror? And who are the three beautiful women, with their red mouths and long sharp teeth, that come to his room at night?

At home in England, Mina is staying with her friend Lucy in a town by the sea. She waits for Jonathan’s letters, but they do not come, and Mina is afraid. Perhaps Jonathan is ill, or in danger…

Mina is not afraid for herself, of course, or for her friend Lucy. What danger can there possibly be for two young women in a quiet English seaside town?

Topic 7: Computer Games

1. How many types of games are there in the world?

There are a lot of people play game but not everyone knows the different types of games that are out there. Here are some basic types of games are listed below.

1.  Arcade style: first appeared in 80’s, they are Asteroids, Pac-Man. They are still very popular and it seems nothing can replace them.

2. Card, logic and board games: They are very regular in every computers.  Logic games usually simulate some well-known logic puzzle like Master Mind or the card game like poker or solitaire.

3. Adventures (text adventures and graphical adventures): This is a game in which the player assumes the role of the main character in an interactive story that is driven by exploration and problem – solving such as jumping over a traps, fighting against a killer….

Players can interact the game by text, that is called “text adventures”, or graphical interface, that is called “graphical adventures”. For examples: Romario (the most famous game series in 90’s)

4. Simulation: It is also called “Simply game”, is the game that emulate actions such as daily lives or case studies. For examples, the Sims, Sims city or Sims the zoo.

5. Strategy: Such as War craft or Star craft. They are the most attractive game in the world because of real time actions and methods of war . Players can direct a sum of unit and start a battle against other team using their line and methods of war.

6. Shooter (First Person Shooter (FPS) and Third Person Shooter): Is part of action games. They are used to test the speed and reaction’s time. The player have to assumes a character that use weapons such guns, knife to fight against the other players. The most famous game of this type is half life.

They also have first person shooter(FPS), that player have their own view, and third person shooter that player can see the character from the other view.

7. Role Playing Game (RPG): Anyone who played Final Fantasy knows exactly what an RPG is. The player play a character, sometime more than one, characterized by straits (such as strength, agility, intelligent, mana…), skills and properties (cash, levels). As you play, the character becomes the more powerful and the game adjusts itself accordingly, so instead of fighting orcs, at high levels you start fighting black dragons.

There are many games such as “Vo lam truyen ky”, or World Craft.

2. What are disadvantages and advantages of playing game?

Advantages of playing game:

1. Offer the potential to foster creativity

2. Provide a fun and social form of entertainment

3. Make kids feel comfortable with technology

4. Increase children' s self-confidence and self-esteem as they master games

5. Develop skills in reading, math and problem-solving

6. Promote pro-social behaviors, such as helping and caring

7. Teaching follow games help the children easier to study and remember the lessons.

Disadvantages of playing game:

1. Play violent games make children aggressive

2. Fall in academic performance and become lack of social interaction

3. Addict to the game and become exhausted because of playing game without eating.

4. Damage eyesight… etc.

3. There are some accidents because of playing game too much.

http://vietbao.vn/Vi-tinh-Vien-thong/Chet-vi-choi-game-lien-tuc-50-gio/40092959/217/

A guy in Korea had died because of being exhausted while playing game in 50 hours continually. The doctor said that he die because of starvation.

http://www.xaluan.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=16509

In china, a thirty years old man had died after three days playing game without drinking water or eating.

http://gamethu.vnexpress.net/News/Diem-tin/2005/09/3B9ACDFB/

In Vietnam, Trieu Quoc Cuong, who was born in 1981, is lied in emergency room. When he was driven to the hospital, his heart is stopped beating.

4. How does the government manage games?

- Restrict the playing game time.

- Stop the appearance of internet coffee shop(China)

- Going to manage the virtual game toys business.

5. What is the future evolution of game?

- Online game

- Web –based game

 

How about your opinions?

Chapter XII – The Ops Room

It was 5.30 the next morning. The sky was getting light. Darryl had driven the kids up to the airfield gates. The gates were shut and locked. And there was a new wire fence all around the airfield.

The kids got out of the van. Frankie, Jack and Regan were carrying a metal detector.

‘I’m going to hide the van over there, behind those trees,’ Darryl said. He pointed to a place a hundred meters away. ‘If i see anyone coming, I’ll sound the van’s horn. Good luck!’

The kids climbed carefully over the gates. Tom put on the headphones which were connected to the handle of the metal detector. Then the four friends started to search the ground carefully, meter by meter. They all looked carefully at the ground in front of them, and Tom moved the metal detector from side to side.

After he’d watched them climb over the gates, Darryl drove the van under the trees. He was very tired. He didn’t like getting up at five o’clock in the morning. He tried to stay awake. But after a few minutes, he was asleep.

____________

It was an hour later. The children had searched only a small area of the airfield.

‘This is taking too long,’ Reagan said angrily. ‘We’ll never find anything.’ She looked up for a moment. Then she gasped. She pointed to the small hill over the old Ops room.

‘Look!’ she whispered.

A line of women was walking over the grass. They were dressed in WAAF uniforms. A pale light was glowing all around them.

As the four friends watched them, the WAAFs disappeared into the hill, one by one.

Regan ran towards the women.

‘Come back! Come back!’ she shouted. But the women had gone.

Frankie, Jack and Tom followed Regan. Tom moved the metal detector over the grass on top of the little hill. Suddenly. there was a sharp sound in his headphones.

‘There’s a big piece of metal under here,’ he said. ‘Quickly! Dig, everybody!’

The kids started to dig with their spades. Ten minutes later, there had found a big black metal hatch – a door in the ground. The hatch was two meters and slowly, the heavy  hatch opened. Underneath it, they saw some concrete steps. And at the bottom of the steps there was a red metal door.

Chapter XI - The Diary

Radnor Road was in a new part of Lychford. The Bowles’ house was a large, modern one. There was a high fence around the house and garden.
The four friends walked up to the front door. Jack rang the doorbell twice, but there was no answer.
He turned away from the door and began to walk to the back of the house. He had to het inside. The others followed him.
At the back of the house, there was some white furniture in the garden. And there were two tall glass doors, which led into the house. They were not locked. Jack pulled open one door and took a step into a large room.
‘Wait for me here,’ he said to the others.
The room was an office. Jack could see a desk, a computer, a metal cupboard and lots of bookshelves.
There was a strange, frightening feeling in the room. For a moment, Jack wanted to leave. Then he saw a small green notebook on the desk.
‘That’s the Squadron Leader’s diary,’ Jack said to himself. ‘I must read it’
He walked slowly towards the desk. It was very difficult for him to move now. Something wicked was trying to stop him.
Jack’s fingers touched the diary. It was very, very cold…

Suddenly, it was night – dark, dark night. After first, Jack couldn’t see anything. Then he knew where he was. He was standing in the middle of Lychford Green airfield. He was near the control tower. But it wasn’t a ruin, covered with grass and weeds. It was a new control tower. There were other new buildings nearly. Jack heard a car passing a few metres away. Then he heard people walking about. He was back in 1940!
Two hundred metres away, Jack saw some large shapes. They were black against the dark sky. He had seen the ruins of these buildings from the air, earlier that day. Aircraft were kept in them. He knew that. He walked towards them.
When he was near the first building, Jack heard a sharp noise inside it. He went quietly into the building. There were several Spitfires inside.
Jack stood under the wing of the nearest Spitfire. A man was working on the plane. Immediately, Jack knew something about him. He was a wicked man!
Jack waited. After a while, the man finished his work and he turned around. Jack could see the man’s face now. The boy had seen that face before – in an old photo at the museum. It was the face of Squadron Leader Leighbridge-Smith. The Squadron Leader was the traitor at Lychford Green airfield!
‘This Spitfire is Glen Loostthawk’s plane,’ Jack thought. ‘Today is the 23rd of August, 1940. on the 24th, Glen’s plane will crash. He will die and so will the four evacuees. The Squadron Leader broke something inside Glen’s plane. He is a murderer!’

‘… and what are you doing in my house?’ a woman’s voice was shouting. ‘How did you get in here?’
Frankie, Tom and Regan were in the room with Jack now. The woman who was shouting at them was wearing a bathrobe. A towel was tied around her head.
‘We rang the front doorbell,’ Tom said quickly. ‘There was no answer, so we came round to the back of the house.’
‘You walked into my house while I was taking a bath!’ the woman shouted. ‘I’m going to call the police.’
‘No, please don’t do that,’ Jack said. ‘My name is Jack Christmas. I phoned you yesterday. I wanted to talk to your husband.’
‘My husband is busy at the airfield,’ Mrs Bowles said. ‘He isn’t going to speak to you.’
‘He’s at the airfield?’ Regan said. ‘Does he work for Facelift Construction?’
‘My husband owns Facelift Construction,’ Mrs Bowles replied. ‘Now get out of my house – all of you!’
There was nothing more that the children could do. They walked slowly down Radnor Road. As they were walking along, Jack told them his story.
‘So the Squadron Leader was the traitor,’ Regan said. ‘Mr Bowles must know about it. He knows what’s in his grandfather’s diary. He understands the code. That’s why he doesn’t want us to see diary.’
‘But why did the Squadron Leader kill Glen?’ Frankie asked.
‘Glen found out the truth,’ Tom said. ‘So the traitor killed him. It’s simple.’
‘And the proof of the traitor’s wickedness is under the ground somewhere on the airfield,’ Regan said quickly. ‘Mr Bowles knows that, and he is looking for the proof too. But we must find it first!’